


The Undone and the Divine

by miraellie



Series: Burden of Shadows Side Stories [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Begging, Biting, Dirty Talk, F/M, Light Bondage, PWP, Porn with Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-08 17:19:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17390468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miraellie/pseuds/miraellie
Summary: Sometimes, there's only one way to quiet the voices that have taken up space in Ardyn's mind.





	The Undone and the Divine

“What are you thinking about?”

Ardyn blinked and looked away from the window he’d been staring out of, focusing his attention on Elpis. He gave her a tired smile. “Would you believe me if I said I was thinking of you?”

She closed the bedroom door behind her, taking a moment to unpin her headscarf from her hair and set it aside. Then she approached him. After sitting herself down opposite him, Elpis rose an eyebrow and pressed a finger between his eyebrows.

“Do thoughts of me cause this worried crease here? Perhaps you should stop thinking of me, if so.”

He grimaced. Which likely only made the crease worse. Ardyn took her hand in his and kissed her palm; her skin was dry and rough and he loved it. “No, of course not. Forgive my poor attempt at flirtation.”

“Hmm.” Elpis moved until she was seated between his legs, her back resting on his chest. She pulled his arms around her, though he didn’t need much encouragement in that regard -- holding her was one of the best parts of his day. The solidity of her body was a comfort, as was her heat and the feeling of her chest rising with each breath. “I’ll forgive you if you tell me what’s worrying you.”

“You’d forgive me even if I didn’t,” Ardyn said. “Because you’re entirely too reasonable.”

“When you put it like that, it sounds awful.” Elpis turned her head until she could peer at his face. “Really, though, if you don’t wish to talk of it...”

Gods, how he didn’t. Ardyn wished he could keep all his darkness to himself, instead of being a dismal cloud that threatened to block Elpis’ sunlight. It wasn’t right to burden her with anything, least of all the things with which he was weighted down. If he told her any of that, however, she would frown intensely at him--and admittedly, he loved her frown almost as much as he did her smile, because it meant she cared--and then call him an idiot and demand he tell her.

“I do,” Ardyn said at length, “and I don’t.”

“Nothing is ever simple with you, is it?” Elpis said, with utter love in her tone.

“You would be bored if it were.”

“Maybe.” She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes while she stroked the back of his hand. It shouldn’t have been so arousing, but somehow, it was. The comforting sensation of it warmed him.

Yet even for that, Ardyn could not silence his thoughts. How could he tell her that his nightmares were getting worse? That sleep no longer came easily to him? Or that any kind of light was beginning to pain his eyes to look at, and sometimes he longed for the comfort of utter darkness? 

Or that there were voices in his head. Every daemon he had ever taken from someone roiled within his soul, seeking release. Seeking to twist him.  
  
A weariness had long since settled in his very bones, it seemed. Some days, Ardyn just wanted to _rest_. As if that could solve everything, as if that could make the Starscourge go away.

 _I’m ill,_ Ardyn wanted to tell her. _I’m ill and I do not know if there’s a cure._ He was the cure for everyone except, it seemed, himself.

Ardyn shut his eyes and buried his face into Elpis’ black hair. It smelled of the oils she used in it, along with the soap she bathed with. Nothing else ever smelled so good as she did.

_I’m scared, El._

As if sensing his thoughts, Elpis shifted against him. When he met her gaze, her expression was worried.

“Ardyn, truly, are you well?”

“I am,” Ardyn lied with a tired smile. “I’m only weary from the day’s work.” He paused, looking out the window. “Or night’s work, as it were.”

Elpis seemed to accept his lie easily. “Then you should stop letting me keep you up and rest.”

“Hmm.” Ardyn ran a hand along her torso until he cupped a breast, gently massaging it. Elpis sucked in a breath, then relaxed against him. “I’ve not seen you all day,” he said into her ear, his voice low. “I can think of other things I’d rather being doing than resting. If you’re agreeable.”

“Yes,” Elpis breathed, putting her hand on his, as if to keep it there in case he thought of moving it. Like hell he would, though. Not when softly pinching her hardened nipple made her moan quietly with desire. That sound went straight to his cock, twitching and hardening.

Grinning, Ardyn kissed the soft skin of her neck, making certain to suck hard enough to leave a mark. It would be covered by her headscarf later, but he’d know it was there, as would she. A little private thing, claiming her as his.

“How did I become so fortunate,” Ardyn wondered aloud, his voice husky, “as to have you in my life? A divine Goddess, more beautiful than Leviathan and Shiva could ever be.”

Elpis turned her head so that she could kiss him, their tongues meeting, her teeth catching his bottom lip and pulling on it until she drew out a growl from him. His hands went down to her hips and took hold of her skirt, slowly dragged the fabric up along her legs, then her thighs, until her skin was bared to him. From his vantage point, he could only just see the apex of her thighs and the dark curls there.

Unable to deny her the pleasure any longer, Ardyn lowered a hand between her thighs. When his fingers found a warm slickness on the inner skin, he let out a quiet groan, his groin tightening with lust.

“You’re already wet for me, love?” He bit her ear as her hips shifted, trying to get his hand to where she wanted it.

“You’re already hard,” Elpis said, her breathing uneven. “It only seems fair.”

Gods, and his cock _was_ hard for her. He yearned to be deep inside her, but held himself back, because greater than the desire to be inside her was the need to make her come.

His fingers slid into her folds and slowly circled her bud. Her moans grew louder, her hips moving against his hand, her nails digging into his arm as he picked up the pace. Ardyn pulled away just enough to watch her face, drinking in the sight of her head tipped back against his shoulder, as though she had no strength to hold it up any longer. She bit her lower lip, trying to muffle the noises she was making, the noises he was drawing out from her. She was absolutely breathtaking.

When she drew closer to her release, he stopped just long enough to slide a finger inside her. Elpis’ breath had become ragged and she no longer tried to quiet her moans. She brought a hand to his head, tangling her fingers in his hair and pulling at it.

“Ardyn,” she breathed, “please--”

“Do you want to come, El?”

“Gods, yes, please. Make me come.”

He kissed any bare skin he could reach as his thumb massaged her clit and his finger pressed against a spot deep inside of her. “Do it for me, El.”

Her back arched against him as her inner walls clenched down on his finger, a sharp cry of pleasure escaping her throat. Elpis rode out her orgasm against his hand, shuddering and panting, lost in her release. When it passed, Ardyn kissed her hair.

“I love the sounds you make when you come,” he growled into her ear, reveling in the shiver his words sent through her body.

With a smirk, Ardyn held Elpis’ gaze as he licked his fingers clean of her wetness. Her mouth fell open slightly, and he began to wonder if perhaps he had taken it too far, when Elpis closed the space between their faces and kissed him. Her tongue licked at his lips, then his open mouth, and she shared in the taste of herself with him.

 _Good gods,_ Ardyn thought distantly, _this woman will be the death of me._

Elpis pulled away and turned until she was properly facing him. Her hands made quick work of his dark grey robe, pulling it off of him with a force that almost tore it. She wasted no time in freeing him of his breeches, and soon he was naked before her, his swollen cock falling to his abdomen.

She licked her lips, eyeing him hungrily, and Ardyn simply laid back and let her take her fill of him. He would never tire of how she looked at him like this. With heady lust and desire and--most of all--love.

“Now,” he said, tutting, “I don’t think it’s fair at all that you have me entirely naked and yet you still wear your dress. Are you to torture me with only a few glimpses of your skin, El?”

She eyed him thoughtfully. “Maybe I will,” she said, crawling over his body until their faces were mere inches apart. “Would you like for me to torture you, Ardyn? Perhaps I should simply tie you up and leave you here without release.” She trailed her fingertips down his front, coming close to touching his cock -- only to pull away at the last second.

Ardyn closed his eyes and let his head fall back, restraining himself from even twitching his hips. She would not win this game so easily. “Are you so cruel?”

“I can be,” Elpis said, her lips brushing against his jaw, “if you want me to.”

“Ah,” Ardyn said, “cruel as only a Goddess can be.”

She tilted her head, a small smile playing along her full lips. “That makes you a God, does it not, dearest?” She reached behind her and began pulling at the laces of her dress. Ardyn’s mouth went dry as the yellow fabric fell away first from her shoulders, then her breasts, the dark nipples hard. Aching to be bitten and sucked.

He kept himself still as she pulled off her dress and tossed it aside. Her brown skin glowed in the firelight and his eyes trailed the curve of her hips to the muscles in her legs and arms. She was like something from a dream, some Goddess of the Hunt who had finally found a prey worthy of her sword.

“And,” Elpis continued, coming to straddle his hips, but keeping herself far above him so that his cock wouldn’t touch her. “Gods require worship.”

“As do Goddesses.” His restraint was failing him, with her on top of him like that. Ardyn wanted to thrust his hips up until he was inside her to the hilt, but no, he would not make the first move. He would let Elpis decided where this went next.

Elpis considered him, studying his face. He was used to her moments of silence--he was usually the talker during sex while she had taken longer to warm up to that part of herself--so he simply rose an eyebrow at her in feigned nonchalance.

Which may have been an error, for suddenly she grabbed his wrists and brought his hands above his hand, holding him down against the ground. Ardyn couldn’t stop the small noise of surprise from escaping him, and he gazed up at her. They shared a long look, where Elpis watched his reaction to see if he was okay, and where he told her without words that he was definitely fine with their current position.

“Beg,” Elpis said, clearly and firmly.

Ardyn’s brow rose in mock confusion. “Beg for what, my dear?”

She shook her head. She would not let him win that easily. “You know of what I speak, so do it. Beg.”

“Ah,” Ardyn said, swallowing hard as Elpis lowered her hips just enough to lightly rub her quim against his cock. Gods, if he kept up the ruse, he might well and truly go insane from want. “Beg a favor from my Goddess? I--gods, El.”

She’d begun kissing his neck, biting at his collarbone hard enough to leave marks, just as he’d done to her. It was so simple an act and yet it spoke a profound statement: You are mine, and I am yours.

 _To hell with winning,_ Ardyn thought.

“Please, El,” he managed to say. “Fuck me. Ride me. Use me as you please, just torture me no longer, my divine.”

Elpis grinned up at him smugly, relishing her win. Then, mercifully, she freed one of her hands and took hold of his cock, sending shocks throughout his body at the touch. She guided him to her entrance then slowly, tortuously, lowered her hips and eased him inside. The warmth of her enveloped him, squeezing his cock, and it took every last ounce of self-control for Ardyn not to flip her on her back.

Elpis let out a small sigh, her eyelids fluttering shut as he came to be fully inside her. Fuck, but he loved that little sigh. It sounded as if she had been missing something in her world and then, suddenly, found it in him, found it when they joined.

“That’s it, darling,” Ardyn said, his voice tight with need. “Take your fill.”

Biting her lip, Elpis began rolling her hips. Her grip on his wrists loosened until she let go entirely, her hands instead going to her breasts, massaging them and playing with her nipples as she rode him. With his new freedom, Ardyn gripped her hips, steadying her. He watched as his cock sunk in and out of her, becoming slick with her wetness, and the sight nearly undid him.

“Ardyn,” Elpis moaned, “you feel amazing.”

He would have replied, had he any sense left. Instead his thumb found her clit once more, and he pressed against it, using Elpis’ own movements to stroke it. Ardyn watched her as she found her pleasure, a small, dreamy smile lighting up he face. As long as he lived, he would never grow tired of the sight of her chasing her release with abandon.

His groin began to tighten in the way that left him breathless in anticipation, and it was all because of her, his beautiful, beloved, Elpis.

“El,” Ardyn ground out, meeting her gaze. “Come with me.”

His words seem to make her come undone, as nearly instantly her walls were spasming around his cock, and he joined her not a second later, falling over the edge as white hot pleasure scorched him. His moans mingled with hers, becoming quiet gasps and soft groans, until finally Elpis rested on his chest. His cock came free from her, and Ardyn bit back a hiss of loss. Instead he stroked her hair, her back, anywhere he could reach as her breathing slowed.

“Well,” Elpis said at length, “I suppose that’s one way to take your mind off things.”

Ardyn laughed lowly, kissing her head. He held her firmly as he sat up, then picked her up as he stood on somewhat shaky legs. He set her down on their pallet and turned to pick up a washcloth and dunk it in a bowl of washwater. He cleaned himself first, then took up a clean cloth and, after getting it soaking, returned to her side.

Elpis watched him as he walked back towards her, her expression unreadable. Silence fell between them as Ardyn cleaned her of the evidence of their lovemaking. He loved to take care of her in this way, just as they did for each other after a battle, looking over the other and healing them if need be. Ardyn had had plenty of lovers before, but he had not shared this level of intimacy with them. He had not shared this depth of vulnerability with them.

Once he was done, he laid beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she came to rest her head on his chest. She’d said once that she loved the sound of his heartbeat and how she could feel it against her palm, under his skin. He couldn’t deny her anything, even something so simple as listening to his beating heart.

“You will tell me eventually,” Elpis said. “Whatever was bothering you, or still is. You’ll tell me, right?”

Ardyn stared up at the ceiling. For once, the feral screams in his head were silent, as they could only be with Elpis. They would be back all too soon, and with it, his pointless chase for sleep.

How could he tell her?

Perhaps he would find a way, eventually. He had time, didn’t he? The Astrals would not let their Chosen fall into darkness.

Ardyn kissed Elpis’ forehead and held her tighter. “I will,” he said. “But not tonight.”

Elpis, ever stubborn, said, “Soon?”

“Soon.”

Seemingly content with that, Elpis relaxed, and soon sleep claimed her. Ardyn laid awake, the howls of the daemons in his head keeping him company, and wondered if one day they’d grow so loud that he could hear nothing else.

And if, one day, it would cost him Elpis.

**Author's Note:**

> So originally I wanted to include a sex scene in The Burden of Shadows, but in the end I cut it for word length and because I'd decided to keep the rating to T. Then I decided, fuck it, I'll make it a oneshot. Everyone needs some PWP every now and then.
> 
> Title comes from Florence + the Machine's "Bedroom Hymns". 
> 
> Thanks for reading, y'all.


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